


Sacrifices

by 4Jean_Drake7



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Absent Parents, Abusive Parents, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Annabeth Chase & Percy Jackson Friendship, Arranged Marriage, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Author's Favorite, Bad Parenting, Bisexual Percy Jackson, Canonical Character Death, Canonical Child Abuse, Child Abuse, F/F, F/M, Gay Nico di Angelo, Happy Nico di Angelo, I Ship It, I Will Go Down With This Ship, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Insecure Leo Valdez, Insecure Nico di Angelo, Jason Grace is a Good Friend, Lesbian Piper McLean, Loss of Parent(s), M/M, Minor Character Death, Multi, Piper McLean is a Good Friend, Platonic Relationships, Protective Percy, Read by the Author, Single Parents, Step-parents, The Author Regrets Nothing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-14 03:53:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Underage
Chapters: 8
Words: 17,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29164503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/4Jean_Drake7/pseuds/4Jean_Drake7
Summary: Everything was going great.For two years Percy and Nico have been able to meet and date in secret.But now Percy's abusive and rich stepfather, Gabe, is forcing him into an arranged marriage with Annabeth Chase, the daughter of Frederick Chase, another rich company owner.Now Percy and Nico have to fight all the odds to get their lives on track so they can be with one another.The question is, can they do it?
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Hades/Persephone (Percy Jackson), Hazel Levesque/Frank Zhang, Jason Grace/Leo Valdez, Juniper/Grover Underwood, Nico di Angelo/Percy Jackson, Piper McLean/Original Character(s), Sally Jackson/Gabe Ugliano
Comments: 15
Kudos: 29





	1. You Were There

**Author's Note:**

> I do not have a update schedule, I'll update when I get around to it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> March 10, 2011

Glimmering stars twinkled down on the couple, that lay on top of an old worn out blue blanket meant for their regular picnics. Today was one of the special days where they were able to get away with staying out as late as they wanted without anyone noticing.

Nico’s stepmother, Persephone, had one of her best friend’s birthdays to attend to, and wouldn’t be back until early in the morning. His father was away, as usual, working long hours. He hardly noticed if Nico was gone anyways, so him being gone didn’t matter much.

Percy on the other hand, had a lot to be cautious about. His abusive stepfather, Gabe, was usually at the house giving him and his mother drunken orders as he either played poker with his friends or crashed on the couch. His mother didn’t matter much if he left the house, as long as she knew it would be safe. She was so caring like that.

It was often that Percy would worry about leaving his mom to do all the chores Gabe would make them do, but Sally, his mom, would always tell him that she always found spare time on her own hands, so he should not worry.

Nico knew of this. After all, he had been friends with the raven haired teen for many years, and had been dating him for the past two of them. He made it his goal to try and take Percy’s mind off worrying about his mother, and would sometimes offer him small encouragement that she was doing fine.

He wouldn’t dare tell Percy he wasn’t sure that he was telling the truth whenever he said it, but he assumed that Percy could already tell. That didn’t stop him from doing it, however. He would do anything to see the other smile, and if that meant convincing him of things he wasn’t sure of himself, then he would put as much effort into that as needed.

There have been a few times where Nico has offered the idea of running away from home. Unfortunately, Percy quickly shot those ideas down, claiming that it would only make matters worse, and Gabe would for sure put bounties on their heads. There was also the fact that Persephone wouldn’t be onboard with that plan, so Nico hadn’t dared to mention that ever again.

As Nico shifted his position from where his head had been laying on top of Percy’s stomach to beside the older teen, Percy used one of his arms to bring Nico in closer to him, giving the younger one some extra warmth.

Nico shut his eyes, content on staying like that for the rest of the night. These times were his favorite, after all. Where the two could just cuddle up in the darkness as the twinkling lights in the night sky gave them a faint glowing light. It was usually an agreement that they don’t talk during these times. It usually breaks a peace that they don’t have often when with each other, and Nico loves silence. It makes him comfortable, and Percy knows that.

Soon midnight turned into one in the morning, and Percy could hear as Nico’s breathing slowed as he drifted off to sleep. A smile spread its way across his chapped lips as he looked down at the other’s form. 

His black skull t-shirt was covered by a bomber jacket that he often wore, and he matched it with a pair of black skinny jeans. Nico and Percy had taken off their shoes after arriving at the grassy hilltop, so his small feet were covered in black socks. His left hand lay on Percy’s stomach, and he could see the silver skull ring had gotten from his sister a long time ago. 

Percy’s heart clenched as he thought about the tragic backstory of Bianca di Angelo. It didn’t seem right. Why do the best people suffer the most? I wasn’t fair. Even though he’s been reminded his entire life that life itself isn’t fair, it still hurts to know that terrible things happen to the best of people.

It wasn’t long after that moment did he decide to go back home. It was nearing the 2 am time, and he couldn’t risk worrying his mom all night, or Persephone. Even if both were laid back, they still worried. Percy liked Persephone a lot. He was glad Nico had someone to look out for him, now that both his older sister and mom are gone, and his dad is basically an absentee parent. She could be rather cruel at times, but those days were very few.

Filled with sadness, Percy sat up and grabbed his shoes from the edge of the blanket, packing up the few extra blue cookies Nico and him hadn’t eaten. It was a running inside joke between him and his mom to make blue food, as Sally was just fine when Percy asked if Nico could be included in the joke. 

When Percy stood up to stretch, he looked down on the sleeping ball of Nico, who had curled himself up all the way to preserve heat while he dreamed. The smile only grew on Percy’s face, until Nico’s fingers twitched and his soft pale lips let out a small whine.

It was another nightmare. Instincts kicked in, and Percy was already shaking Nico awake, hoping he’d be able to wake up before the nightmare got too bad. He’s had many

experiences with nightmares himself, and he hated every single one of them. Nico probably felt the same way.

“Hey, Nico, hey. You have to wake up.” Percy whispered, gently shaking Nico’s shoulder in a desperate attempt to wake the younger teen.

“No.” Nico mumbled tiredly, only to receive more shaking and pleas.

“Hey, I know you’re tired, but you have to wake up babe. The sun will be shining in a few hours and I’m sure Persephone would have my head if you aren’t there by sunrise.”

Nico huffed an annoyed breath of air before opening one eye slowly, to reveal deep brown eyes that looked just as dark as the night sky that surrounded him. Percy felt his lips tilt up slightly, trying to bury his panic that built up in mere seconds beforehand.

“I know, you’re annoyed I woke you up. But you were close to having a nightmare. Otherwise I would’ve just carried you out to my car.” 

Nico nodded and closed his eyes, laying there for a few moments. Percy was about to decide to just carry him out, but right when he was about to do so, Nico sat up, both eyes wide open as he put his shoes on.

Percy stood up from his kneeling position and waited patiently as Nico slipped on his black army boots and started heading out to the small blue car waiting by the bottom of the hill. The two said nothing as they laced their fingers together and walked the rest of the way to the car, and it was everything to Percy.

He too liked silence sometimes, as long as he had someone he knew would never hurt him at his side. The drive was silent, except for the radio that was playing some sad country music Percy hadn’t even heard of on low volume. After glancing at Nico every so often, it had been known to him that the other was sleeping once again. Nico’s head was leaning on the window pane, and one hand was tucked under his head.

It’s been too long since they’ve had nights like this. Where they can just be with one another without a single worry in the world, or at least without the amount of worries they usually had placed on their shoulders. Gabe was really the issue, as he liked to have Percy in his sights almost constantly, making sure that he wasn’t “getting into trouble”.

The trip to Nico’s house- more like a mansion, Percy had thought the first few times he had been over in the past- was sweet and short, and the lights blaring onto the driveway proved that they had made it before Persephone. 

Percy unbuckled himself and got out of the car, before going over to the passengers side, and getting Nico out of the car- with some struggle, of course. After some time, Percy hand managed to snake a hand under his knees and the other one his lower back. Nico had sleepily latched his hands around his neck, his head leaning against his left shoulder.

However, the hardest job of them all was trying to unlock the door with a sleeping Nico in his hands. He knew Nico always kept the key to his house in the back left pocket, so that wasn’t difficult to grab. What was difficult was unlocking the door itself.

It took Percy many many tries, but after attempt number what-he-thought-was-fifty-two, he managed to get the door unlocked and open. He shifted all of the weight onto one foot, using the other to lightly kick the door open for a brief moment, and almost fell onto the concrete porch in the process.

He rightened himself out before walking through the door, which was a richly dark purple that looked almost black. Percy once made a comment about how hilarious it was that Nico loved the color black just as much as his father. In return to that comment he got a shoe in the face, flung by the younger boy himself.

Thankfully, Nico’s bedroom was on the second floor of the house, so he only had to walk up one of the many staircases in the house before traveling down a long hallway to get to the end, where Nico’s room was on the right side.

Percy thanked Hades that he hadn’t insisted on Nico having a lock to his own bedroom door as he opened it, grateful he didn’t have to redo the agonizing process of trying to find the key-hole with a body in the way of his vision.

As he walked in, he took note of all the objects in the dimly lit room. Nico always had a small light on, no matter what time of day, just in case instances like these happened or if he had another nightmare and couldn’t calm down in the pitch black. It helped Percy enough to see the outlines of things and make out a few of the closer objects in the room.

Because of Gabe, Percy has only been in Nico’s room at least twenty times in the past two years they’ve been dating, and only two more times when they were friends. It’s never really changed much over the years, only adding small pieces of furniture or things to decorate the room. 

One year Percy had gotten Nico a guitar pick signed by his favorite artist. He had paid for concert tickets for the both of them to see the band the person played in, though Nico ended up staying home with the flu. So Percy took Jason, who managed to help him get the guitar pick signed. Thankfully the concert was a few days before Nico’s actual birthday, so he was able to give it to him on the actual day and spend time with him after. Percy found it hung on the wall right by his acoustic guitar that Nico practices on. 

Nico was a fairly clean person, so there wasn’t anything on the floor that Percy needed to try and avoid on the way to his bed. And thank goodness for that, because he did not need to break something tonight. He was already risking enough by coming home so late. 

As Percy gently laid Nico on the bed, Nico’s skinny arms unattached themselves, as if they knew what they were doing even while he was asleep. Nico’s pale skin glowed white in the moonlight that shone in from the window next to his bed, and it darkened the shadows around his eyes. 

If Nico was awake right now, he would already be peppering kisses onto his cold skin, trying to get the other to smile and loosen up, as seeing he usually has a very menacing personality. Percy was almost scared away by it himself when he first met Nico, though his determination to befriend the other overpowered his fear, and the two made fast friends.

After Percy took the boots off Nico’s feet, he slipped the warm blankets over the younger teen while pressing a small, soft kiss to his cheek.

Just before Percy left, he gently brushed some of Nico’s black hair from his face, and smiled at him warmly. Sometimes it still amazed him that Nico had chosen to date him, and it often led him to wonder if he was ever dreaming or not. Thankfully, he never was. He was only left to believe that as long as he had Nico, everything would be okay.

Oh, how naive he was.


	2. It All Comes Crashing Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This took me much longer than it should have to write this.
> 
> But, it's when everything falls to pieces, so I tried to make it somewhat meaningful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> March 11, 2011

He didn’t have any dreams that night. It was all a soft black that surrounded him and his mind. It felt comfy to him, and he wished he could stay in the darkness forever. It wasn’t suffocating, it wasn’t drowning him. It surrounded him in a pleasant way, and provided him a sense of comfort he doesn’t feel often. 

Unfortunately, as he’s been forced to learn early in his life, all good things come to an end. The darkness turned into a sliver of light as he was shaken out of his dreamscape, forced to open his eyes so he could tell what on Earth was happening. 

“It’s time to go to school, come on. I made you your favorite breakfast, but you have to hurry if you want to get anything to eat.” A soft voice escaped his empty mind, echoing in the black sunlight.

A small groan escaped his lips. “I’ll be up in a minute.” He attempted to mumble out. For some reason it sounded much more coherent in his head than out loud, but he was too tired to care. It was at this moment he regretted staying up so long, gazing at both the stars and his boyfriend. 

“No, honey, now. School will start soon.” The voice sounded more urgent this time, and filled with anxiety. It was at that moment his brain decided to start working, letting him process the fact that this was his mom telling him to get up and eat before school started.

His eyes snapped open. Foggy memories from the early morning flooded his thoughts as he tried to piece everything back together, like why he was still in his clothes, why he could taste his own breath- which tasted of chocolate chip cookies- and why his room looked like such a mess.

Usually at times like these, he is reminded how much he truly loves his mom. Sometimes he thinks he doesn’t tell her how much he appreciates her enough, but she always says that she knows he loves her, no matter what. 

The fact that she had turned on his bedroom lamp instead of his light to let his eyes adjust is only one of the few reasons he can list off the top of his head she has already done for him so early into the day. He stared into her sparkling blue eyes and warm smile, recollecting his thoughts before deciding to get up.

Once he had sat up, it seemed that his mom was pleased enough to head downstairs, not without first kissing the top of his head. He stared at his room for a moment, and quickly slipped on a different outfit to at least not cause any suspicions from anyone at school, or from Gabe. 

After putting on some old sneakers and grabbing his AHS jacket, he dashed out his room and to the kitchen, where he was hit with the smell of freshly baked pancakes and sausage. There was a hint of maple in the air, along with an acidic smell, that he could only guess was orange. 

Sally was standing before the stove, flipping blue pancakes with a spatula. Her brown hair was pulled back into a high ponytail, and an apron was tied across her waist. When she looked up, Percy could see a smudge of batter smeared on the side of her right cheek.

“Your breakfast is already ready. School starts in 20 minutes, and the bus will be here in five, so you should hurry up. I already packed your lunch, so you should be all set.”

As she was speaking, she laid the black spatula on a stone plate, and grabbed his backpack off a hook that was attached to the door near their pantry. She handed him his old and tattered backpack, and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead before brushing part of his hair out of his eyes.

“I love you mom. You’re the best.”

Sally just smiled at him for a moment, her eyes scanning his face with adoration shining in her blue orbs. She then turned around and paid attention to the sizzling pancakes, before replying to her son.

“I love you too Percy. Now go, you don’t want to be late.” _That will only make Gabe upset_ was left unsaid, but he knew that it was implied. It always was.

As Percy walked out of the rather large house, his thoughts on Gabe lingered in his mind. He hated the man with a burning passion. His mom was always so nice to him, and he treated her like garbage. She didn’t deserve that. She didn’t deserve his real father walking out on her either, but yet he still finds himself stuck in his miserable life.

While yes, he had Nico, which was already so much, he wished there was a way to set things right, to give both him and his mom a happy ending. He liked to think they both deserved it, after being stuck with Gabe for the past 17 years. And maybe his wish is a little selfish, but he didn’t care. All he wanted was a happy ending for himself. Everyone wants that, he supposes, so he shouldn’t be selfish if he had some of the same desires as everyone else.

The bus stop was a two minute walking distance from his house, and by the time he had arrived, he didn’t have to wait long for the long yellow vehicle to arrive. In his time of waiting, he quickly snacked on some of the blue pancakes his mom had packed for him. They were good, as always, and fresh and warm.

School had passed by very slowly that day for him. Most of his time was spent trying to focus, which was harder than it should be for anyone else. In the occasional times his mind did slip, it was always to the night before. 

He day dreamed about Nico’s deep brown eyes that glinted in the sunlight. His smile that could melt the insides of Percy’s body, and all of his lingering touches from when small peppered kisses were ghosted all over his face and neck.

Percy could almost feel the mix of heat and cold, where Nico had touched him only hours ago. He could almost picture him right beside him the entire day, with his milky white skin and his shaggy black hair that always looked perfect, even if he hadn’t brushed it in weeks. 

When the clock ticked to 3:00, and the loud chime of the bell rang, students all around him dashed out of their seats and towards the door, leaving behind his English teacher, Mr. Brunner. Percy stayed a little longer than everyone else, taking his time to pack up. The buses always waited an extra ten minutes before leaving, so he had plenty of time to get outside and in a seat.

Before he left, he sent a small nod towards the old man sitting in front of his desk, who gave him an appreciative smile in return. Mr. Brunner had been his teacher ever since he started high school, and he’s helped Percy a lot. He even tutored him for a while, but Gabe was throwing hissy fits about Percy wasting his time on studying when he had chores to do.

It was always chores with Gabe. And no matter how much work he did, it always seemed like the list was just impossible to complete no matter how hard he and his mom tried. Percy didn’t know how he always managed to find something for the two to do, but there was always something, and there probably always will be.

The ride home was short, and when he had reached the door the first thing he did was take his shoes off before entering one of the living rooms. Gabe sitting on the couch didn’t surprise him. It hadn’t in a very long time. What did surprise him, however, was how nice he actually looked.

Gabe wore a tux. It didn’t make him look any thinner, but it did give him a stronger air of authority. Percy hated it. His scraggly beard was cut and trimmed nicely, and he held himself with poise, unlike his natural slump of his shoulders when playing poker with his friends.

Next to him sat his mom. Her hair was brushed and held back by a singular pin, that matched her formal blue dress. She had mini black heels on with bows on the tips of her toes, and she looked just as graceful as always.

And if that didn’t shock him enough, the people on the other couch did.

A man in a deep brown suit with a head full of combed hair sat next to what Percy assumed was his daughter. She had the same air of authority her ‘father’ did, though not as unpleasant as Gabe’s, and there was the intensity in both of their eyes that matched.

She had steel gray eyes that he thought looked sharp enough to cut him in half with a look. Long curly blonde hair covered her shoulders and cupped the sides of her head gently. The girl was wearing a deep purple dress, which had a thin sheet of sparkles that draped over it to make it look like a midnight sky.

“Percy, just in time. Come, sit.” Sally interrupted the silence, scooching closer to Gabe to make room for him to sit. He complied, and placed his backpack next to him beside the couch when he sat down.

There were a few silent moments, and then the man in the dark brown suit began to speak. “Hello. My name is Mr. Chase. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you, Percy.” He extended his hand forward, and Percy shook it, a little astonished.

“Nice to meet you Mr. Chase.”

Percy’s voice was slightly shaking. He could feel his vocal chords start to vibrate inside of his throat, causing his jaw to tremble ever so slightly. He could feel his hands begin to twitch, and had to stick them in between his knees so no one would notice. He had a very bad feeling about all of this, and he didn’t like it.

“Percy, Mr. Chase and his daughter have been brought here to discuss business with me. And we’ve come up with a perfect plan.” Sally’s voice was also quivering as she spoke, and it only made Percy to grow more concerned.

“As you know, the Chase Foundation and Kalopsia have been at each other's throats since they’ve made it to the leaderboard of some of the most successful businesses in the world many years ago. And we’ve come to the conclusion that something to really tie a good business arrangement, is to have our successors legally unite.” 

The longer Gabe kept talking, the more anxious Percy became. But when had finished his mini speech, Percy couldn’t form complete thoughts. The words echoed in his mind over and over again, before it slammed him in the face.

“WHAT!?” Percy cried out. The disapproving glances he got from Gabe and Mr. Chase told him that his outburst wasn’t appreciated. He looked at the girl, who wouldn’t meet his eyes. Instead she decided to play with the hem of her dress.

“The agreement has already been set, and soon it should become official. Hopefully just a few weeks after your birthday. We're giving the two of you some time to become close, that way by the time the wedding comes, you’ll know a lot about each other and will be comfortable to live with one another.” Mr. Chase cheers. His daughter doesn’t look nearly as pleased.

“But-”

“No buts young man. It’ll be official soon. We’re giving the two of you some time today to be introduced to each other while we finalize the details. Why don’t you take Ms. Chase to the gardens?” Gabe asked in his very polite, and very fake voice.

First Percy looks to his mom for help. She meets his eyes, and she looks so sad. He feels her pain for him, but he knows she’s helpless in this situation. Just as powerful as him. Then he turned to face the girl, Annabeth. She’s still playing with the hem of her dress, but she looks up to meet his eyes, and she sends him a pitiful look. She’s just as stuck as he is. 

It’s three to two in this situation, and the two have much more power than the three. Percy doesn’t find this fair. He hates this entire thing. He even considers being slapped by Gabe again and then being forced to starve for a few days over this situation.

And then he thinks of Nico. Sweet, innocent little Nico, who looks at Percy like he hung the stars in the sky himself, who would try his very best to move mountains if he asked him to. It hits him straight in the heart, and he doesn’t think he’s ever experienced such pain before.

He imagines how he’s going to explain this to the younger raven haired teen. His heart shatters as his imagination shows him the most heart broken face he’s ever seen. The fact that it’s implanted onto Nico’s face, however, just makes it ten times worse.

Before he knows it, he’s being shooed into the garden along with Annabeth, and the two awkwardly sit on one of the stone benches.

And that's when he breaks. He doesn’t care if he just met Annabeth less than an hour ago. He starts to cry, something he hasn’t done in a while. He can’t tell Nico. He can’t put him through another heartbreak, not like this.

A hand is placed firmly on his shoulder, and he looks up from his lap to see those determined steely gray eyes from before.

“We’ll find a way out of this.” Is all she says. And then he hugs her. Because he’s glad to know he isn’t alone on this, glad to know someone will help him find a way around this. Maybe he won’t have to tell Nico afterall.

And maybe, just maybe, he will finally get a happily ever after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Percy, I just wanna give him a hug.
> 
> This chapter was planned to be written very differently, but I got caught up in the moment, and I don't think I'd be willing to rewrite this.
> 
> Please tell me what you think so far, I love feedback.


	3. Our Lives Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Long time no see, guys!
> 
> I'm sorry for the late chapter, but I'm sad to say this is the last one :(
> 
>   
> 
> 
> Until March!
> 
> Geez, I would never intentionally leave a story when I put forth 5 hours of planning into it, and 2 hours of writing one chapter. 
> 
> I am NOT that person.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> March 14, 2011

The little bell hung over the door sounded in the small quiet diner, alarming everyone that someone had just entered. Some people didn’t bother to look up from their conversations with other people, or from their food, and others had just because of instinct. 

Nico di Angelo had just walked into Luke’s Diner, wearing his usual garb, which consisted of black skinny jeans, his aviator jacket, and a black t-shirt with a skull design to match his ring. Most people stared at him for a moment, but glanced away quickly. 

He always scared people, and he hated it. While yes, he usually acts like it doesn’t affect him, he takes it personally. Being the son of a big time business owner is a big deal, and it usually scares a lot of people. They’re always worried he’ll call them out on doing the wrong thing and ruining their lives forever.

Of course, not everyone takes it that way, just most people. He of course has friends, and a boyfriend, but it still makes him a little sad that his list seems to be very short. 

“Nico! Over here!” Someone across the diner called out, bringing said teens attention on them.

Sitting in a comfy booth were two of his best friends, Jason and Leo. He’s been friends with Jason for a very long time, due to being his cousin after all, and since Leo always seemed to be around Jason, it was only acceptable if Nico was friends with him as well. Though he will admit, it had been hard to even talk to Leo, because at first he gave him a ‘holier than thou’ vibe. He hates those people with a passion.

Though after some time, he had gotten used to Leo’s jokes, and even managed to break into some of Leo’s walls. He knows that Leo’s been through a lot, more than anyone should, but it took awhile for him to come to terms with that. 

Nico strolled up to the pair, that had a milkshake in the center of the table, with a blue and white straw facing Jason, and a red and white straw facing Leo, who was seated in the booth across from the blond. He rolled his eyes at the cheesiness, but sat down next to Jason.

“Hey, stranger. How’ve you been?” Leo started, a wide smile on his face as he fiddled with something in his hands underneath the table.

“I’m doing well, thanks for asking Leo. How about you?”

“Well everyone at the orphanage is just same old, same old. We got a new kid the other day. His name’s Harley. Real nice kid, likes to tinker with things just as much as I do.”

“That’s a disaster waiting to happen.” Nico mumbled, loud enough for only Jason and Leo to hear. Jason rolled his eyes at Nico’s comeback, while Leo just continued to smile.

“So, any reason you called us here specifically? And don’t you dare tell me it’s just because you wanted to see us. That is so unlike you.” Jason interfered, slowly scanning Nico, as if he was trying to detect anything unusual about the younger boy.

The younger teen blushed a light shade of pink, coloring his pale cheeks and illuminating the almost invisible freckles he sported. He worked up a lot of courage to ask the pair to meet him at Luke’s Diner, but now he was having a mental debate on backing out of it or not. The reasonable side of his head tried to convince him to just tell them, but his pricking anxiety was worming its way into his mind, its voice becoming louder by the second.

Before he backed out, Nico had managed to whisper “I’m in love with him” before he had firmly shut his mouth, covering it with a hand. He was quite shocked he was able to get that out before he let his mind stray away from the idea.

Jason’s eyes widened, and Leo looked skeptical, while also trying to bite back a smile. 

“What did you just say?” Leo asked, his lips trying- and failing- to stay in a firm line. His voice was dancing with his usual giddiness, and his eyes were gleaming with that usual spark that made him look insane. Nico gulped before answering Leo.

“I said I love him.” That too was a whisper, though louder and more certain than the first time he confessed. Jason looked dumbstruck, and Leo looked two seconds away from dancing to Shakira while wearing a sombrero.

It’s happened before, and Nico would rather not relive that experience ever again.

It was silent for a long moment, Leo bubbling with happiness while Jason was trying to recover from his initial shock. Nico looked between the two a few times, brown eyes darting from the Latino to the blond back and forth, frantic and distressed. 

“Oh… My… Gods.” Jason said quietly. 

A moment longer in silence presented itself before the oldest teen wrapped Nico up in a tight hug, barely containing a very happy scream that was threatening to burst from his throat. Leo let a laugh out, one of pure happiness, before sliding next to Nico so he could sandwich the teen in a hug.

Nico chuckled quietly, relief filling his bones as he felt the weight on his chest getting light in a snap of his fingers. He had been so worried that his friends would take it the wrong way, claim he was too young to be in love, or possibly try and convince him that he wasn’t actually in love with his boyfriend.

He heard sniffling, and backed away from the hug to see Jason with tears in his eyes, with a big dopey smile spreading wide across his face. His scar was almost invisible from the skin being stretched so thinly, and Nico felt ready to tease the older for crying when he confessed his feelings for the boy he loved.

The boy he loved.

It sounded new to his mind. He’s never used the word ‘love’ often, not after he lost both his mother and his sister. It’s been rough for him, and both Jason and Percy had been there to help him through his fears, Leo tagging along not too long ago.

While Leo and Nico’s friendship was still somewhat new, Nico had known Jason about half of his life. He’d been there to listen to Nico ramble on about Percy, and how perfect he thought he was, even with the guy’s flaws, had been there to lecture him on his internalized homophobia when he found out why Nico wa holding back, and had even been there to encourage Nico as he gathered the courage to ask Percy out on a date. 

Nico could never express how grateful he was that one of his best friends was so supportive of his feelings in all of this. He’s had tough friendships in his past, most of them the cause for his internalized homophobia, but Jason hadn’t let him down yet. He’s even letting himself to believe Jason never will.

Of course, Nico also had Reyna to talk to, as seeing she knew almost as much as Jason did (by accident, mind you), and while he knew he could trust her, he wanted to tell her in person. Currently, Reyna was on a business trip with her aunt, and was out of the country. Nico didn’t expect her back for a while.

“I’m so proud of you Nico. Gods, you have no idea.” Jason cried out, trying so hard to hold back the obvious tears that were threatening to burst out of his eyes. 

Leo had released the hug, placing a comforting hand on Nico’s shoulder, a smile gracing his lips as well.

“We’re both proud of you, amigo. I know that took a lot of courage to tell us.”

Jason huffed a laugh, letting a few silent tears slide down his cheeks before he wiped them away. Leo gently shook Nico’s shoulder, his energy buzzing. 

Yes, Nico is not one for physical contact, unless it’s Percy. He’s gone almost an entire year without it, with only the occasional touches coming from his step-mother Persephone or his father, Hades. Bianca was usually the one who would always instigate physical affection to him, but when she left, Nico had 17 months of no one bothering to do so. 

Was it painful at first? Absolutely. He had always missed other people’s warmth, their comfort. But after going so long without it, he got so used to it that when people do usually initiate it, he would get scared.

Unless, of course, it was Percy.

Nico didn’t know if it was a mental thing or not, but he could always tell if it was Percy touching him or not. While yes, mostly he could tell by his usual scent- which is always the smell of a beach, with even the faint smell of salt included- he always had a way about touching Nico that no one else did.

At first he could tell right off the bat that Percy was always calculating where and how to touch him. He often felt a wave of uncertainness in between them before any touching had come. But it was precise every time, so Nico never minded.

One of the reasons Nico fell for Percy was because he always knew what he needed. From a small peck on his neck, right where his pulse was so he could feel his own heartbeat, to a squeeze on his left hand whenever he was caught fiddling with the skull ring on his finger. It was comforting to know Percy put thought into every move he made.

Both boys knew when going into a relationship that the other had issues. And a lot of them. Nico had a lot of abandonment issues, as well as both his sisters and mother’s death on his mind. There had been a few more mental issues, but Percy wasn’t aware of them until further into their relationship.

Percy himself had been dealing with his abusive- and rich- stepfather. At a young age he was also quite bitter about his birth father leaving him. That had passed when Nico came along and stayed for a while. He also had a small issue of thinking that everything that went wrong was his fault.

Well, it was a little more of an issue to Percy than to Nico. While both struggled with that, Nico had internalized it and beat it down a bit over his years of life, while living with Gabe had only made it worse for Percy. 

But, in the end, the relationship had lasted for two years now, with only a few major arguments and one threat to break it up in the time the two were together. It had been the best two years of Nico’s life. Jason and Leo both knew it. His father and step-mother both knew it. He himself knew it.

All things had been getting better for Nico.

“I think you should tell him.” Jason claimed, almost knocking the wind out of the younger teen in shock. 

“What?” Nico coughed out, still taken aback from his cousin’s remark.

“I think you should tell Percy you love him.” Jason repeated, elaborating on his earlier statement to the raven haired boy.

“Are you kidding me? What if-”

“Um, first of all, no. Let me stop you right there.” Leo cut in, bringing the other two’s attention on him. 

Jason had a very confused look on his face, looking ready to cut in before his boyfriend said something possibly stupid. Leo, however, continued.

“There are not gonna be any what ifs now. You just admitted you  _ love  _ him, Nico. You can’t take that back. And it’s obvious you’ve been pondering on this for a while now. I know you well enough to know that. Now, I’m not gonna push you to tell him, that wouldn’t be very cool of me, nor Jason. But what I can do is tell you that you shouldn’t wait for too long to tell him. If he finds out you held back because you were scared, it’ll hurt him. So my advice to you is to not hold back for long.”

This surprised both Jason and Nico. Leo used their silence to grab the milkshake that stood in the center of the table and sip out of his red straw. 

“Leo, when-”

“Okay. I’ll tell him.” Nico stopped Jason, getting wide eyes from said teen.

“You will?” Leo and Jason asked at the same time, watching silently as Nico struggled to get out of the booth without Leo moving.

Nico stubbled out, but regained his footing after his tennis shoes hit the tiled floor. He held out his hands at his sides to help gain more balance for himself, before turning to face the duo, hands in his pockets. Leo’s face was beaming with pride, and Jason looked almost starstruck. It was an interesting scene to experience. 

“Yep. I’ll tell you guys how it went later. See ya.” 

Nico left with a smile on his lips after he saluted the couple. He walked out of Luke’s Diner, the annoying little bell ringing to let the people know he was heading out, and headed towards Percy’s house, a sudden burst of bravery causing him to skip there.

He was not expecting what he saw when he got there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Screaming at me in the comments is always welcome <3


	4. Puzzle Pieces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy, prepare your tissues if you get emotional.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hint:
> 
> A wild Grover has appeared.
> 
> March 14, 2011

Jealousy burned like a sizzling fire pooling inside his stomach, scratching the edges of his inner organs and setting aflame his entire being.

A girl with blonde curly hair was sitting side by side with Percy, who didn’t look troubled at all by her presence. She was laughing at something Percy had probably said, as seeing he often liked to make jokes and brighten the atmosphere around him, and her puffy pink lips were curled up so high that it scrunched up her steely gray eyes.

Percy was smiling like an idiot at her, his intense green eyes gleaming with a sense of softness as he stifled his own laugh, trying hard to keep the wide grin under control. His wild and untamed raven colored hair was highlighted by the sun’s rays, creating a shadow over his tan face.

They stayed like that for a moment, and Nico stood at the garden gates, watching the moment unfold before his own eyes. Red and yellow flowers decorated the green stems and leaves, covering tiny corners of the duo that sat on the stone bench, adding color and a relaxed aura to the scene.

And then Percy’s eyes travelled over to where Nico was standing, which was now an empty space. Nico had predicted he would eventually spot him, and had taken a step back in order to hide. It had become a habit of his for a very long time, to hide in the shadows when people were searching for him, and covering himself in them when they weren’t. 

Nico stayed in his spot, back against the brick wall that prevented visitors to walk openly into the garden, heart pounding wildly in his chest as he tried to slow down his breathing. He had been so focused on his simple task that he missed when Percy had walked up to the gate, searching for him through the slim metal bars.

“Nico? What are you doing here?” Percy asked, snapping Nico out of his trance. 

“Huh? Oh, um, I just came to stop by, see how you’re doing.” Nico lamely added, becoming fully aware of the presence that was creeping up behind Percy.

“Percy? Who is it?” The blonde girl asked, stopping a few feet away from said boy.

“Nico, come in. I want you to meet someone.” Percy offered, already moving to open the metal gates, causing a sudden wave of panic to flood through Nico’s veins. 

“What?” Nico asked, before being dragged into the gardens by his boyfriend, not given time to protest. Nico turned around when he had entered the garden grounds, watching as Percy latched the gates closed. “Percy-”

“Annabeth, I want you to meet Nico. Nico, Annabeth.” Percy cut Nico off, gesturing to Annabeth and Nico accordingly to his introductions. 

“Nice to meet you. I’ve heard many things.” Annabeth started, her warm aura slowly fading away as he stared into her gray eyes, which held a more intense gaze than he had seen earlier. His gut dropped as he shook her awaiting hand. 

“What… What kind of things?” Nico gulped, shifting his weight to his right foot, and then the left, repeatedly doing the small action as he waited for her answer, feeling too open for comfort under her stare. 

“Only the good ones.” Annabeth replied after a few moments of silence, taking her time to study him up and down before answering his question. Nico huffed a breath of relief. 

“Anyways-” Percy began, but was promptly cut off by another voice invading their conversation. 

“Percy!” Someone yelled from afar, before coming out from behind a large bush of Morning Glory flowers, revealing a teenage boy with curly brown hair and large doe brown eyes. He had a green beanie covering half his head, and a small wispy beard starting to grow.

When Percy turned around and spotted him, his green eyes widened in disbelief before a large grin was spread across his face. Laughter filled the air as the duo ran toward each other, enveloping the other in a hug.

Nico smiled warmly at the reunion, while Annabeth watched with a quizzical look on her stone cold face, refusing to move an inch as she watched everything happen.

“Grover! I can’t believe you’re back! How was your trip?” Percy asked, releasing himself from the hug. 

“It was amazing! Dad and I saw so many exocitic plants, and some of the wildlife habitations down there are awesome. I’m so glad we got to go.” Grover explained, moving in sync with his best friend as they made the short distance to Nico and Annabeth.

“That’s really cool, Grover. I’m happy for you.”

“Yeah, but I’ll tell you about it later,” Grover waved Percy off, before focusing on Nico, “haven’t seen you in a while. How are things?” Grover extended a hand to the teen, who hesitantly shook it, the small smile widening ever so slightly. 

“Hi Grover, it’s nice to see you again. Things are going well.” 

“That’s good to hear,” Grover replied, before facing Annabeth, who scanned him as well, “and who are you, my fair lady?”

“Annabeth Chase.” The blonde replied simply, not bothering to shake his awaiting hand. After realizing this, Grover lowered his hand. 

“Nice to meet you, Annabeth. I’m Grover, Percy’s best friend and the son of the gardener for this lovely garden.”

Annabeth simply nodded. Grover decided to drag his attention back to his best friend. 

“I should probably head home. Dad and I still have another week before we actually need to start work again. I’ll be visiting Juniper until then. Take care, man.”

Percy nodded, his smile diming slightly. “I understand. I’ll see you next week then.”

“See you next week.” Grover confirmed, before heading out of the gate, whistling to a simple tune after he was hidden behind the brick walls of the garden. 

Silence fell upon the trio, everyone waiting for some else to start a conversation. Nico half expected Percy to start one, as seeing he really liked to talk, to blow off steam in a way, but maybe Annabeth was waiting for Grover to leave before she opened up?

Annabeth was waiting for mainly Percy to start, as seeing every chance he got he would fill the air with his own words, filling the silence that was always waiting to creep up on them. She was still trying to figure out Nico, but if he was anything like Percy, she figured he would be the one to break the silence.

Percy was waiting for the other two to talk. He did not want to break the news to Nico about his relations with Annabeth, but he also didn’t want Annabeth to tell him, because as far as he knew, she wasn’t really the type to care much about people’s feelings. She’d probably cut straight to the chase (pun intended, his brain supplied), and would end up breaking Nico's heart. 

Eventually, Percy had gotten tired of the silence, and decided to break it. 

“So, Nico, I know you said you just wanted to see me, but you never do that. I hope you don’t mind me prying, but what exactly are you doing here?”

Nico sighed heavily, his earlier confidence to tell Percy he loved him had been dwindled down to a tiny crumb. When he saw Annabeth, his suspicions arose from the back of his head, where most of his anxiety came from, and it had scared away all the bravery he had built up the entire day.

“I was going to tell you something, but it can wait.” Nico responded, unconsciously trying to tuck himself into the folds of his own body, hoping that all the attention would be pulled away from him. 

“Are you sure? Annabeth can step away if you’d like.” Percy offered, shooting a meek glance at Annabeth, who looked exactly the same.

“No, no, it’s fine. It can wait. But uh, speaking of, how do you two know each other exactly?” Nico asked, gesturing to the two teens that stood in front of him, missing the way Percy tried to bury himself alive silently in his mind.

“Uh, well…” Percy started, looking to Annabeth for support. Her glare softened, just enough for Nico to notice, before looking to him.

“I think it’s best if he explains this.” She told him, before disappearing behind a bush of Begonias. 

Percy chided himself to learn how to read people better, because moments ago he had thought Annabeth would just blurt out the truth to Nico. She sometimes seemed heartless to him, but maybe that’s just something he has to break through. Either way, he was mentally kicking himself for assuming such terrible things of her, and reminded himself to thank her later personally. 

After he breaks the truth to his boyfriend.

The raven haired boy tried to shove away every concern and terrible thought trying to push its way to the front of his brain, and shooing away the looks of disbelief and heartbreak on Nico’s face that he has seen a few times. 

“Nico…” Percy started, already letting the crippling anxiety close itself over his heart.

“Yeah?”

“Uh… just- promise me you won’t freak out. We’re working on a way to get out of it, I swear, but right now we’re in the stage of formulating ideas, so it’s not set in stone yet. But I swear to you I will fight with every ounce of my being, because I don’t want this, she doesn’t want this-”

“Percy! What are you talking about?” Nico stomped his foot on the ground, causing Percy to stutter over his rant. 

“Annabeth and I are engaged!” Percy blurted out, causing both of their eyes to grow wide. “Wait, no, wait, not engaged, but, we-”

“WHAT!?” Nico screamed over Percy, who tried to explain the situation. 

“Our parents are forcing us into a soon-to-be arranged marriage. It’s not my fault, I didn’t know about it, I swear, I just found out a few days ago. I meant to tell you but-”

“I need some air.” Nico gasped, clenching a fist in front of his lungs, looking slightly paler than usual as he absentmindedly headed to walk out of the gate.

“Nico, please-” Percy begged, grabbing hold of one of Nico’s forearms to try and prevent the younger one from leaving the premises. Tears were threatening to spill from his eyes when Nico shoved him off.

“No, Percy. Not right now. Just… give me some time. Please.” He whispered, his voice breaking slightly as he stared at the ground, his eyes looking disconnected from the world around him. Percy sighed in defeat. 

“I- okay. Okay. Just, come see me when you have your emotions sorted out. I wanna talk through this with you.” 

Nico never gave him a verbal response, he just nodded quickly before dashing out of the gates, feet hitting the pavement and water streaming down his cheeks, choking on his sobs as he made his way to the sanctuary of his own home, which had lost any homey feeling to it ever since his sister died.

The last argument he had with her played in his head on repeat, and he didn’t know why he was thinking of her when he should be focusing on the situation that had just presented itself to him moments ago, but all he knew was that he was scared.

His whole body was trembling, his hands were visibly shaking so hard he lost feeling to them, and the streets he passed blurred by as he ran in the evening light, pinks, blues, and yellows getting darker as the sun began to set. 

Nico could only hear his own breathing and his own heart rate as he made his way to his own house. His heartbeat was getting louder and his breathing was getting shallower by the second. Black danced at the corners of his vision, teasing it’s way slowly into the familiar terraces. 

Sweat pooled on the nape of his neck and on his forehead, causing some of his messy hair to sweep across his eyelashes. The more he ran, the warmer he got, and the more hazy everything seemed to become. The sounds of cars crashing into one another sound in his ears, and all he could see was Percy on the floor, dead.

A guttural cry escaped his throat, tearing his lungs apart and scratching his mouth, releasing a hurricane of pent up emotions that had played him for over three years. The door before him opened to reveal Persephone, who looked mighty concerned and shocked at his state. 

It’s only been a known fact to two people in his entire life that he had always been scared when he got in an argument with Percy. Jason and Persephone. Both have had him barrel into their doorsteps at least once, with him shaking and screaming, crying out bullets of rage at the world as he let the fear haunt him in the day. 

Bianca and him got into a fight hours before her death. It ended on a sour note between the two. He had always been so terrified something similar might happen with Percy. 

The darkness overtook his vision completely, and the last thing he could feel was his head slamming into the wooden porch of his own home. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...
> 
> That happened.
> 
> :)
> 
> I'm sorry I'm putting these two through so much pain, it'll get better (eventually), I swear.


	5. Heat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Buckle up buttercups, because this is one depressing chapter. 
> 
> So be prepared with more tissues! (:

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> March 22, 2011

Persephone took a deep breath to calm her silent rage, trying to calm her nerves and settle her uneasy stomach. She curled her manicured fingers into a fist before letting it hover next to her head, just about to knock on the wooden door that belonged to her husband’s study. 

Another deep intake of air delayed her planned attack by a few seconds, but soon afterwards she found herself knocking on the door anyways, trying to ignore the buzz in her bones, and the warning thoughts that tried to push her away from what she planned to do.

“Come in.” A voice called out, not doing anything to steel her nerves as she walked in, the door creaking as she pushed it open. 

“Hades,” Persephone started, but was cut off by the said man.

“Ah, Persephone. Do give me a moment, will you?” Hades asked, continuing to look down at the paperwork that sat delicately on his desk, neatly covering the stained birch in its own way. 

Persephone nodded silently and waited for a few minutes, watching her husband intently as he scanned over some papers he held in his hand, looking at them with a concentrated frown. He wrote something down with one of his fountain pens, before setting everything down gently and clasping his hands together, letting his elbows rest on his desk.

“What can I do for you?” He asked innocently, his black eyes watching her every movement. 

“I need you to stop working so hard.” Persephone explained simply, crossing her arms over her chest and popping out a hip so he would understand that she will not go down without a fight. 

“I’m afraid I can’t do that.” He replied, waiting for her to answer. 

“Not even for your own kid?” Persephone seethed through her pearly white teeth, causing Hades to give her a small growl of rage. 

“Nico is not a little kid anymore. He can take care of himself.” 

“You don’t even know him anymore!” Persephone cried out, throwing her arms up in the air in disbelief as she rolled her eyes. 

Hades heaved a heavy sigh as he rubbed his temple with one hand. “He doesn’t need his father breathing down his neck anymore, Persephone.”

“That is no excuse, and you know it. For five years I have had to take care of your child. Five years, Hades! I gave you the first one to grieve the deaths of your wife and daughter, but the extra four years had just been both of us waiting for you to step down from work, from your grieving, and become a goddamn father!” Persephone was angry, a boiling pot gurgling inside of the depths of her stomach, feeding her rage more fury as time went on.

“Persephone-” Hades warned, the purple glint to his eyes returning. But she didn’t dare back down. Not now. Not after she finally gained the courage to yell at him and accuse him of being an absentee parent, leaving her to do all the work. 

“No! You will listen to what I have to say. I’ve had to help that boy through school, had to pick him up from the principal’s office several times because he got into fights, had to learn all of his own schoolwork so I could help him through it, had to take him anywhere he wanted, and had to raise him right. And why did I bother? I don’t know, but I care for that kid, and you should too. You may have lost a wife and a child, but he lost his mother, his only sister, and his father. He’s gone through so much, and did you even stop to think that he’s going through something worse than you?”

Hades stared at her in shock, the silence responding to her. Because of course he didn’t. He had spent all this time grieving, thinking he was in the right to shut everyone out, including his son and his second wife, just because he lost his loved ones. 

“You didn’t even know he became selectively mute for six months after he made the decision. I was the one who had to tell you when you bothered to ask. Six months, Hades. And that’s not even the worst of it. Did you know he passed out on our doorstep after screaming bloody murder, because he was scared that his boyfriend would shut him out, just like you did to him?”

Hot tears were slipping down her bright pink cheeks, her mouth exhausted from all the screaming she had done moments prior to her soft questions. Hades looked at her with a confused expression on his face, hiding the disappointment and sadness well.

“He has a boyfriend?” Hades asked timidly, looking down at the papers before him with a heartbroken expression written in bold letters across his dark eyes.

Had he really been that terrible of a father to his only son? Not even bothering to check on him every once in a while, to just see how he’s doing. But more importantly, has Nico lost that much faith in him? When did he stop sharing such important pieces of his life with him? When did he fail at being a father? When did it start?

Persephone erupted into tiny giggles, bursting from her mouth as she tried to wipe away the tears. “This is exactly what I’m talking about. You didn’t even know he has a boyfriend. What other things did you not know, Hades? Huh? Do you even remember your own kid's birthday?” 

“Of course I do.” Hades defended himself immediately. 

“Then what is it?” Persephone tested, her tone hauntingly cold. 

“January 28th.” Hades responded. 

Persephone nodded, giving him a few plus points for at least remembering his birthday. “And when’s the last time you gave him a meaningful gift?”

“When I gave him the skull-”

“That was from Bianca, don’t even try to take credit for that. What else?”

The silence burst into the room again while Hades tried to think of anything he had given Nico that hadn’t been something small like a ballpoint pen or a book that he probably haden’t even touched. 

“I… I can’t remember.” Hades admitted, feeling the defeat rub raw at his heart, letting it bleed as it slowly tore itself away at his barriers. 

“Of course you don’t.” Persephone whispered, before fleeing from his office, wiping away any stray tears. Hades watched for a moment, before an alarm blared its way into his mind. 

“Wait!” He called out, reaching out a hand that hovered over his desk, as if waiting for her to take it. 

Persephone pivoted on her heels from the doorway, a painfully blank expression hiding the burning anger towards him. “What?”

“How is Nico doing?” Hades asked gently, being cautious of his word choices, as if one wrong letter could set off a bomb that was slowly ticking inside of her.

A small, gentle smile caressed her lips. “He’s with Jason right now. It’s been a tough few days for him, so I let him be as long as he likes.”

The woman looked like she was about to scramble out of the room again, but Hades desperately called for her attention again. “Wait, one last thing.”

She looked over her shoulder with a questioning look. “When he calls for you to pick him up, inform me, alright? I want to make things right again.”

Hades gulped as he awaited for her to do something, anything, to let him know she heard his plea. Seconds ticked by before she smiled once again at him. “Of course.”

And then she was off, closing the door behind her, leaving Hades to stare at the papers lying helplessly in front of him. He sighed before rubbing his temple again, trying to formulate different plans on how to approach being a good father to Nico. First he would have to finish the paperwork for the week, then he would talk to Thanatos, one of his closest business workers, and have him take half the load from then on.

Because now, Hades was gonna step up his game. He’s going to be a good father to Nico, and try to be a great husband to Persephone. He will do his very best to improve.

* * *

_Fire was everywhere. It was licking the sides of the building, surrounding the wooden floorboards, and enclosing the small family that desperately tried to find a way out of the hazardous flames._

_The woman guided her children away from the breaking timber and the creaking materials all around them. Her children screamed and hacked, calling for help with every breath of their lungs._

_Her oldest daughter ripped off part of her linen dress and pressed it up to her mouth, hoping it would stop the smoke from invading her lungs. Her throat felt like it was on fire, and her eyes were watering uncontrollably. She worried for her younger brother, who had buried his mouth under the neckline of his shirt in an attempt to stop the invasive gray clouds._

_“Bianca, Nico, Maria!” A deep voice called out to them. The girl turned towards the source of the voice to find her father reaching for them. She hurriedly pushed her brother towards him, and followed with careful steps, her mother right behind her._

_Hades lifted Nico into his arms and started running down a few flights of stairs, becoming cautious of the splintering wood around them. His steps were hurried as he barreled towards the exit, the sounds of the fire crackling and popping in their ears almost deafening the sound of sirens in the distance._

_The first ones out were Hades and Nico. Hades was a few feet ahead of Bianca, who rushed towards the exit as fast as her little feet could carry her. She ignored the wood that started to break right above the doorway, and when her feet met the pavement she heaved a sigh of relief._

_She shouldn’t have done that. Right when Bianca passed, the doorway collapsed, trapping Maria in the ruins. Hades and Nico watched, eyes wide with fear as Bianca turned around, hoping to see her mother there, only to find the burning doorway broken to bits._

_“No. Maria!” Hades cried out, shaking the ground beneath him ever so slightly. Nico just stared at the spot, mortified at what he had just witnessed. Bianca broke down in tears._

_The authorities showed up seconds later, trying to rush the children to get checked on by the doctors. Hades couldn’t refuse, too shocked at what he had just watched. Nico kicked and screamed as some men tried to pry him away from his father, and Bianca was too busy crying to refuse any service._

_Labored breathing became shallow to all three of them as they watched the fire department burn out the flames. Some people had taken to trying to remove wood from the doorway, the one that had collapsed on top of Maria di Angelo, and Bianca was lucky enough to have not seen her mother in the mauled state._

_Unfortunately for Nico and Hades di Angelo, they had witnessed the people carry her bloodied and burned body away into one of their vehicles. Nico had lost all of his fight and fell to his knees, his whole body trembling and silent tears gliding smoothly down his face. Hades was too shocked to do anything._

_It took a while, but the police were able to pull the broken family away from the building, with a few scratches from Nico, who had refused to leave the only home he’d ever known. Hades grew silent, refusing to say anything to anyone. Bianca was the only one who had been remotely functional in all the chaos. She answered whatever questions she could and accepted the offer to stay at a hotel for the night._

_Everything was silent the next day. Hades laid in bed, trying to pry his mind away from his awful nightmares, and Nico refused to do anything but stare into space. He didn’t eat or sleep, and he didn’t even want to change. Everything was still processing in his muddled head, and Bianca knew it._

_While the two grieved in silence, Bianca tried to busy herself. She made her way to a friend’s house, and then to her uncle’s house, who offered to pay for anything they needed, until they got back on their feet. She knew he would eventually ask to get paid back, but that was a worry for another time._

_Bianca was determined to keep her family together, no matter what the cost._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Screaming at me in the comments is always welcome :)
> 
> Peace out my half-bloods!
> 
> <3


	6. Those Simple Days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I.
> 
> AM.
> 
> NOT.
> 
> DEAD.
> 
> (Not yet)
> 
> I'm sorry each story is so short :(
> 
> But I just couldn't make each one a chapter long. 
> 
> I did try in the beginning, which at up 3 hours of my time, but I ended up summing each one down a little and forced them all into this one. I hope it sounds okay.
> 
> Here's the song I listened to (on repeat) while writing this chapter
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_V76Dm42bY
> 
> It's really good

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> June 1, 2009

_ Running. Feet pounding against the roads, across the sidewalks. Muscles pumping, moving as fast as possible. Curly hair blew in the nice warm wind. Skinny arms moving in jerked movements. Intense eyes focused farther down the path. The sun shining down on tan skin.  _

_ Lungs running out of air quickly. Movements slowing down without permission. He could see his goal slipping out of his skinny fingers. The feeling of becoming desperate grew like an ember being fanned to become a flame. _

_ He couldn’t let this happen. He couldn’t stop running. Not now. He was already so far away from the horrible orphanage. He was only a mile away until the police’s search borders would end. He was so close, yet so far away. Leo pushed himself, trying to send any left over adrenaline into his veins.  _

_ Everything stopped when Leo bumped into someone. The force threw the scrawny boy down onto the ground, while it left the blond to just become rather shocked. _

_ “Oh, I’m so sorry, I didn’t see you there.” The blond claimed, already extending a hand out to the Latino to help Leo up.  _

_ Instead of accepting the hand, Leo just looked at the blond in awe. He had a tiny scar on the left side of his lip, just barely visible. He had very muscular arms, along with close cropped hair and electrifying bright blue eyes.  _

_ Blood rushed to Leo’s cheeks as he accepted the stranger’s hand, being pulled up by said man. Leo doubted the other could see his blush, due to his rather tan skin that he loved having for that exact reason, so he had no reason to cover his face like other people.  _

_ “Oh, um, sorry about bumping into you like that. It was my fault.” Leo scratched the back of his head, awkwardly, letting his fake humor lace with his words. _

_ “Don’t worry about it. Name’s Jason.” The blonde- Jason- offered his hand again to Leo, though this time to shake it. Leo took it. _

_ “Leo.” The Latino answered, inwardly screaming. The smile on his face felt more genuine. He hadn’t felt like this in a while now.  _

_ “So, Leo,” Jason tested the name out, and Leo could feel his knees starting to buckle, “what were you running away from?” _

_ The smile on Leo’s face threatened to fall, but he pushed it to stay the way it was. Afterall, he can’t let Jason know the truth, can he? Then he’d probably leave Leo. And Leo really didn’t want that to happen. _

_ “Uh, my little brother, Harley, was chasing me down the street. He’s a really slow runner, but he tries.” Leo lied through his teeth, thinking about Harley back at the orphanage home. How disappointed he would be if he found out Leo ran away. It hurt his heart a little.  _

_ “I see. Well, should I take you back to your house then?” Jason asked, his little smile that melted Leo’s heart growing slightly. _

_ “No!” Leo practically shouted, panic and fear swirling deep in his bones. He couldn’t let Jason take him back to the orphanage. Couldn’t let the pretty blond see he lied straight to his face. But at the look of shock written on the other’s face, he felt guilt creep up on him. “I mean, my dad is really self-conscious about our house. He doesn’t like visitors.”  _

_ Leo was mentally kicking himself about digging a deeper hole for himself, while another part was encouraging it, telling him it’s all for the better. Leaving Jason in the dark is for the best.  _

_ Jason scanned Leo warily, partially suspicious, but ended up accepting the lie. “Okay, then. I’ll let you chase down your brother. I’ll see you around, Leo.” _

* * *

August 18, 2009

_ Hermes couldn’t believe it. He finally got the letter accepting his offer. He was finally going to be able to open the diner he’s always wanted to be in charge of. His dreams are on their way to coming true. _

_ “Luke, you’re never going to believe-” Hermes started, making his way over to his son’s bedroom, opening the door only to find the room empty.  _

_ A battered and old backpack sat at the foot of his bed, binders and books sticking out of the open flap. His desk had its usual mess, full of pencils, colored and graphite. Random papers were stuck in the drawers, corners sticking out of the drawers. The floor was rather clean, and his closest was shut, so he couldn’t see much into that. _

_ “Oh, I guess he’s gone then.” Hermes mumbled to himself, a small frown growing on his face before he looked down at the paper in his hands again, quickly forgetting about feeling the wave of disappointment wash over him at the absence of his son. _

_ For a while Hermes hummed to himself happily, doing the dishes and sweeping the floor as he waited for Luke to return home, his letter hanging on the fridge in a proud display. He was half tempted to call Luke, but figured it would only annoy the younger one. _

_ After three hours passed, anxiety creeped into his stomach. He was seriously considering calling his son, as seeing it was almost time for dinner, and made his way over to the phone hanging on the kitchen wall, when someone knocked on their front door. _

_ Hermes frowned, wondering who it could’ve been. Luke would just walk in, and last time he checked he didn’t have many friends. Every step he took towards the door, another flash of panic flooded into his system, and his hands started to shake when he went to turn the knob to his home.  _

_ The last person he expected to see was an officer standing at the door. She was wearing Nike shoes, which he wasn’t sure was allowed, but they matched the rest of her outfit, so he didn’t bother. Her twin braids circled the top of her head, and matched her deep brown eyes that were held with slight sorrow. _

_ “Are you Hermes Castellan?” The woman asked. Hermes swallowed audibly before nodding his head, confusion swarming his mind. _

_ “I am.” He choked out.  _

_ “Mr. Castellan, I’m sorry to say this, but your son died in a terrible accident. He-” _

_ Hermes stopped listening after she delivered the worst part of her news. A sudden ringing in his ears prevented him from being able to. His knees gave out on him, and he stared at the woman’s Nike shoes, lost in his own little world. Tears fell silently. The man felt numb all over, and he didn’t even notice when the woman had left. _

_ He didn't remember going inside, closing the door, or even going to his room to sleep. The next morning he woke up with an empty feeling in his chest. Reality crashed into the man when he woke up, and that’s when he started to mourn over the loss of his son.  _

* * *

August 10, 2008

_ “Hi, My name’s Percy Jackson. What’s yours?” The kid with wild black hair and attractive sea green eyes asked, sticking out his hand for the younger one to shake. His smile was alluring, and there was something about him that made Nico’s heart flutter in his chest. _

_ “Nico. Nico di Angelo.” Nico offered, timidly shaking his hand. He felt his entire body relax slightly, feeling like he could already trust the kid in front of him. Part of him disagreed, and tried whispering terrible thoughts, trying to get inside his head. He pushed the aside.  _

_ “Well then, Mr. di Angelo, since we’ll be here for a few hours, what would you like to do?” Percy bowed dramatically when announcing Nico as “Mr. di Angelo”, and Nico had to stifle a laugh at that. It’s been a really long time since he’s felt like this.  _

_ “Um, I- I don’t really know. What do you suggest?” Nico stammered, feeling heat rise to the back of his neck. He wondered why he was feeling this way around Percy. It wasn’t natural, was it? _

_ “Hmm how about ‘Save the princess’? You can be the princess and I can be the knight in shining armor that saves you from the evil giant.”  _

_ Nico couldn’t bring himself to say no. The look of purity on the raven haired boy’s face was very attractive, and it drove him mad. His heart was pounding wildly in his chest just at looking at the boy, and when the other went to touch him, Nico’s skin felt like it was on fire.  _

_ One question swirled in Nico’s head. Was this normal? Surely it wasn’t. He’s never seen two guys acting like this around each other. But then again, he barely sees people as is. He’s always locked up in his room. Staying hidden, staying away from his father with his solemn looks. It hurt too much to see. _

_ “Okay.” Nico replied, listening to Percy when he told him to stand on one of the chairs. He watched with awe as Percy then pretended to battle the giant. It was kind of cute to watch.  _

_ Nico halted. Cute? Did he really think Percy was cute? _

_ As Percy stabbed the invisible giant in the foot, he looked over at Nico with that heart warming smile, and Nico could feel the heat spreading to his cheeks ever so slowly. Then Percy faced the giant, and did a somersault under the giant’s feet, pretending he was stealthy when he did so. From Nico’s point of view, it was rather clumsy, but he couldn’t bring himself to care.  _

_ When Percy pretended to win, he then scooped Nico up in his arms bridal style and looked at Nico like he personally hung the stars in the sky just for him. Nico silently prayed that Percy couldn’t feel his heart pounding in his chest as he looked at him.  _

_ And then he did something very unexpected. He kissed him. On the forehead. His lips felt chapped, but they sent a wave of warmth into Nico’s body. _

_ That’s when Nico started to realize that maybe he’s always liked boys. He just hadn’t admitted it to himself until now. _

* * *

December 5, 2010

_ Piper burst into Luke’s Diner, shivering even in her winter coat and jeans. She brushed her unevenly chopped hair out of her face, her fingers brushing over the feathers braided into her hair. Like usual, Piper went to one of the farthest corners of the diner, where she almost always sat.  _

_ She was excited to see the waitress again. It’s always the same person, no matter what time of day or night she comes in. Piper had once voiced her concerns playfully by teasing the girl about how she must live in the diner. The waitress only answered with a shrug.  _

_ But today she was going to do it. She was going to ask the girl out on a date. It’s been long since she’s been on one, and she finds the waitress adorable. She can make the other flush real easily with teasing comments, and it’s one of the cutest sights to her. _

_ After two months of pining, making subtle hints and comments, Piper finally gathered the courage to ask the waitress out. While yes, it wasn’t the only reason she had come to the diner, it was the main reason. _

_ She was getting tired of her dad. Sometimes he’s super over protective, and others he’s so distant, it’s like he’s an entirely different person. Piper hates it, but she manages. Besides, if this waitress agrees to the date, and the date goes well, she might have a girlfriend to occupy some of her thoughts.  _

_ Right then said waitress comes strolling up, her usual obviously fake smile still spread on her face. Piper always hated the sight of it. She knew that the other was hiding something behind it, and Piper was curious as to what it was.  _

_ “What can I get for you today?” And her voice. That was fake too. It hurt Piper slightly, but she instead replied to her question. _

_ “The usual.”  _

_ “Coming right up.” The dirty blonde nodded, pushing up her black framed glasses further up the bridge of her nose. Piper found the action charming.  _

_ After the waitress returned with a strawberry milkshake and fries, Piper didn’t see her again, as she expected. It was a relief, too, because that’s when she’d put her plan into motion. She grabbed a pen out of her purse and scribbled down her phone number on a napkin.  _

_ When the waitress came with the check, Piper tucked the napkin in along with the money, and exited the diner before anyone could blink. _

_ All of her hoping had paid off the next day. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do have to say. That Pernico moment was just
> 
> <3 <3 <3
> 
> I loved writing that. 
> 
> Feel free to comment and tell me which interaction was your favorite. 
> 
> (Jeo, Hermes, Pernico, or Piper x Waitress)
> 
> Hope y'all are doing better than me :P
> 
> #DyingLikeNico


	7. Battle Amongst The Chase's

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's here!
> 
> One of my favorite chapters! :)))
> 
> Think of it as like my Mark Of Athena book, but condensed into one chapter. lol

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> April 19, 2011

Annabeth brushed away a strand of blonde hair, tucking it behind her ear as her razor sharp gray eyes scanned the kitchen, trying to delay the probable fight she was about to bring upon her step-mother. She figured that if she couldn’t reason with her dad, might as well try his wife.

She watched silently as the woman scrubbed away at the dishes, her hair pulled back in a high bun with a singular clip that matched her dirty work clothes. For a business woman, she looked even better when she was covered in muck, in Annabeth’s opinion. 

The pair stayed like that for nearly a half hour. Annabeth stood in the doorway while watching her step-mother wash the dishes, shifting her weight onto each food absentmindedly as she fiddled with her necklace, that had a silver owl hanging between eight delicate orbs, four on each side. 

When Keira, Annabeth’s step-mother, finished, she sighed deeply, standing there for a moment to inspect their backyard through the large window hanging just above the sink. Her soft green eyes danced across the window as they scanned every inch of the garden in the sunset lighting. Annabeth continued to watch silently. 

“What do you need, sweetie?” Keira asked, her voice holding an overbearing amount of fake sweetness that turned Annabeth’s ears sour. 

“I needed to talk to you about something.” Annabeth mumbled, looking down at the tiled floor to avoid Keira’s attentive face when she turned to face the blonde. 

“What, is there another spider in your room?” The Asian woman asked, the sarcasm seeping from her lips and floating into the air. Annabeth clenched her fists tightly at her sides, but tried to ignore the comment and move on to her point.

“It’s about the arranged marriage.” 

Keria raised a suspecting eyebrow, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning against the counter. Her sharp nose flinched ever so slightly, and her painted nails tapped against the side of her forearm as she continued to examine her step-daughter. 

“Go on.”

“I want out.” Annabeth briskly replied, trying to sound confident, to make it clear that she was serious, and she didn’t want to argue about it.

“I’m afraid that isn’t up to me to decide.” Keria said, shifting her body slightly to make herself more comfortable. In the lighting, Annabeth could make out her deep red streaks of dyed hair amongst the midnight black of her long natural color. 

“But you can talk to my dad about it. He won’t listen to me. I was hoping that he would at least listen to your reasoning.”

“And what, exactly, would I try to reason his arguments with?” Keira shot, causing Annabeth to be momentarily frozen at the coldness in her tone.

“Percy, he doesn’t want this either. That I know for a fact. He-” Annabeth caught herself. She was about to say that he had a boyfriend, but she knew that Gabe didn’t know anything about that, so she held her tongue on that argument. “He doesn’t like me. And I don’t like him. We aren’t meant for this.”

“Oh sweetie, just give it time. You’ve only been together for- what, two months now? That’s not enough time to build a proper relationship. You’ll catch on eventually.”

“No, we won’t. He’s too stupid for me. It’s like his brain is made of seaweed! And don’t even get me started-”

“Annabeth.” Keira harshly growled, causing Annabeth to pause in momentary fear. Shivers ran up and down her spine, and the temperature suddenly seemed to have dropped. “Those are not good reasons.”

“But-”

At that moment, Annabeth’s twin step-brothers, Matthew and Bobby, came barging into the kitchen, fake lightsabers in their hands as they pretended to attack each other. Bobby swung for Matthew’s head, as the twin ducked and went to jab his brother in the stomach with the plastic stick. 

“Matthew! Bobby! Go play somewhere else! You know the kitchen is not a play area.” Keria pointed out, stopping the twins' attacks on each other. 

“Yes mother.”

“Yes mom.”

Both boys walked out, their heads hung low as they dragged their swords out of the kitchen. Annabeth and Keira watched them leave, as to make sure they wouldn’t reenter the kitchen. When they heard a door slam close somewhere, Keir shifted her weight once more so she stood her ground only a few feet away from Annabeth.

“Anything else you want to add?” The woman asked, her entire being screaming ‘ _ try me _ ’. The blonde was not one to usually back down, but this woman had a big impact on her life, so she decided to stay quiet. The worst part was that Keira knew how much of an advantage, and she used that at every opportunity. 

“No. That was all.” Annabeth lowered her head, looking at the tile once more. 

There was a slight hesitancy in the air, before Keira continued. “You know, for someone as smart as you, you would really think that you’d be able to convince me. I’m disappointed in you, Annabeth. No wonder your mom left you.”

Before Annabeth could retort, Keria walked away, grabbing a hand towel on the way out to dry off her hands. Silent tears started to come to the blonde’s vision as she glared at the floor, trying to reign in her emotions. 

After a while, Annabeth gave up. The overwhelming emotion of despair filled her stomach and twisted her lungs, trying to break free from her throat. So Annabeth dashed to her room, which was relatively close to the kitchen. 

Her socks made it somewhat difficult to race across the wooden floorboards of her own home, but the slipping and sliding was almost nonexistent as she ran, seeking the comfort of her own room, her mind full of disconcerting thoughts and swirls of troubling musings. 

Tears were slipping down her cheeks by the time she burst into the familiar atmosphere, slamming the door shut before jumping into her soft bed, full of fluffy blankets and thin pillows. Her skin was burning on the outside, while shivering underneath the sizzled skin. 

A broken sob escaped her lips as she pressed them to her favorite pillow, trying to muffle the sound as best she could. Silvery blue water drops stained the plush pillow as she continued to weep, memories turning in her mind like a tornado. 

She could remember how broken her father used to look when she was younger as he looked at their front door, as if he was waiting for someone to open it and bring him in for a hug. It never happened, and Annabeth hated the woman that gave birth to her for making her dad look so miserable all the time. 

Pieces of her childhood came and went to the front of her mind. When she first made friends with Luke Castellan, who had made her several promises that he would always be there for her. When she received news of the accident that killed him. When she first met Reyna Avila Ramirez Arellano, who was always there to listen to her.

Right now, Reyna was on a trip, so she wasn’t there to help comfort Annabeth like usual. A small part of her wished that she was. She needed someone to vent to, someone who would listen to her. She doubted Percy would. Even though they’re decent friends, they haven't really gotten to that point yet. She doubts they ever will.

The more Annabeth thought about everything, the more tired she grew. Her body sagged and gave into the solace of the mattress and blankets, wrapping her up and giving her as much relievement as she needed. 

Annabeth drifted off to sleep.

* * *

_ Annabeth was walking around town, scuffing up her tennis shoes against the concrete of the sidewalks, kicking at tiny pebbles and dirt, not bothering to watch where she was headed. Her head was halfway covered with her favorite baseball cap, barely managing to stay on top of her untamed curly blonde hair.  _

_ A recollection of thoughts on her life swarmed and invaded her mind like a hive’s nest full of bees. It was annoying, but easy to get lost in all the buzz. And lost, she was. She was so lost. Ever since she could remember, her father had always been distant to her, and her mother left when she was only three years old. It was hard. _

_ She was so lost in thought that the blonde didn’t notice when she bumped into someone until suddenly her back hit the pavement, her favorite hat falling off her head.  _

_ “Oof.” She managed to say on reflex, blinking a few times when she realized she was looking at the blue sky instead of the streets of her hometown.  _

_ “Oh, sorry about that.” A new voice appeared out of thin air, jerking Annabeth away from her own little realities. “Are you okay?” _

_ A hand with tiny scratch marks and some soot on it suddenly appeared in Annabeth’s vision, causing her to blink in confusion before taking it. The hand was surprisingly strong, but when she got a good look at the person it belonged to, it wasn’t as surprising to her.  _

_ “‘M fine. Just lost in thought.” Annabeth mumbled, shrugging before going to collect her hat from the floor, only to bump her head against the older boy’s, who had the same goal she did. When their heads collided, the blond laughed slightly.  _

_ “And what might you have been so lost in thought about?” The taller boy asked, handing Annabeth her hat, who snatched it away to carefully place it upon her head.  _

_ “None of your business.” Annabeth snarled, shocking the older boy for a moment. The blonde thought that would’ve startled him away, but when his face morphed from confusion and terror into giddiness, she sighed deeply. Her mom would’ve been disappointed, according to the stories her dad told her about the mystery woman.  _

_ “Snarky, I see. Were you born like that, or did you develop that thick attitude?” The blond boy asked, placing his hands on his hips as he studied Annabeth.  _

_ “Wouldn’t you like to know.” Annabeth replied, before storming off, shoving the boy away slightly, not bothering with the fact that he barely flinched when she did so.  _

_ “Hey! Where do you think you’re going?” The other asked, cupping his hands around his mouth to allow his voice more distance so it could reach the snarky little girl with curly blonde hair and a Yankees cap.  _

_ “Far, far away from you!” Annabeth retorted, not bothering to look behind her. She knew if she did she would stop walking again, and walking had almost always been a way to clear her mind. She wasn’t about to stop for some silly boy that looked twice her age.  _

_ For a moment Annabeth had silence. Peaceful silence. And then there was someone beside her, clapping one hand on her shoulder.  _

_ “And why do you want to get away from me?” The older boy asked, his expression mocking hurt as he tried to get a reaction out of the little girl. Annabeth simply rolled her eyes at his rather stupid attempts to get her to open up. _

_ “Because you’re an idiot.” _

_ “You barely know me. So you don’t get to say such big words after we just met.” The boy debated, causing an annoyed groan to escape the girl’s lips. _

_ “Why are you following me?” She changed the subject, and if the boy noticed that, he didn’t comment on it.  _

_ “You interest me. I’ve never met someone as snarky as you. Except maybe my dad.” The boy tapped his chin thoughtfully, looking up at the sky to pretend he was thinking about it. Annabeth snorted.  _

_ “Ever heard the saying ‘the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree’?” Annabeth asked the boy, who looked taken aback. _

_ “Are you calling me snarky?” He asked, raising an eyebrow curiously.  _

_ “Maybe, maybe not.” Annabeth shrugged again, a small smile threatening to form on her own face as they continued to walk into the setting sun. _

_ It was a good day.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Behold
> 
> The Platonic!Lannabeth chapter :)
> 
> I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!


	8. Of Friends And Silent Relationships

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *inhales sharply*
> 
> *waits for a moment*
> 
> *blinks*
> 
> I hate this chapter so so much.
> 
> But I do not have it in me to rewrite it, so here you go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> April 25, 2011

Luke’s Diner. It was Percy’s favorite place to go to. All of his friends usually met up there, and Nico had brought him there a few times for small dates that would usually end up lasting until midnight. So many memories were held in that place, and Percy didn’t mind it one bit. He actually loved it. 

“Percy, over here.” Someone called out. Percy turned towards the source of the voice, and saw Piper waving him down with one long arm, a wide grin spread across her glossed lips. In the booth he could also see Jason, Leo, and Frank. Leo was sitting next to Piper, across from Frank, and Jason was sitting next to the buff teen. 

“Hey guys.” Percy sighed, letting his shoulders slump the closer he got to them. He’d been so stressed lately, not being able to hang out with Nico all week due to the more pressing meetings with Annabeth. It was getting tiresome. 

“You look like mierda, man.” Leo pointed out, not bothering to blink at Jason’s slight jab at his shin. 

“That’s one way to put it.” Percy laughed halfheartedly, melting into the booth next to Jason. He used one limp hand to ruffle up his hair, and didn’t care that it probably looked even worse than it felt. He had small bags under his eyes that he hadn’t covered up, and it didn’t blend well with his sea green eyes. 

“Are you okay? You don’t look well.” Jason claimed, poking a finger at Percy’s forearm. 

“I’m tired. Gabe is pressuring this whole arranged marriage thing on me, and I swear, if Annabeth tries to give me another lecture about architecture, I just might willingly jump into a coffin.”

Frank hissed. “That bad, huh?”

“Worse.” Percy retorted, causing everyone else to give him pity stares. Percy was too tired to give them a second thought. “How’s Nico?” He decided to ask, giving Jason a side glance so he wouldn’t have to move his head so much. 

“He’s fine on the most part. He really misses you, though.”

“I miss him too.” Percy whispered, now looking at the table in front of him, letting the tops of his eyelids droop. After a moment of silence, he covered them with both hands, closing his eyes fully. “Gods, I hate this. I wish everything would just go back to normal.”

Jason patted his back to give him a sense of comfort, while Piper reached across the table to pat his shoulder. 

“I think he does too.” Leo added, only making the deep pit in Percy’s stomach drop.

“I know.” Percy whispered into his hands, trying so hard not to cry in front of his friends. He was trying so hard not to, tried to focus on it just a little too much. Tears leaked, escaping the commands his mind tried to send to them. 

“Percy-” Frank started to say, only to be cut off. 

“I hate this. I hate not being able to see him. It hurts.” Percy mumbled, squeezing his eyes shut tighter, hoping that it would stop the threatening tears from spilling. 

While it had only been a few days since Gabe banned Percy from meeting up with Nico because he was convinced that Nico was a bad influence on him, Percy’s heart ached to see his usual bedhead, his smile that broke his cheeks that Percy tried so hard to bring back into this world, and desperately just wanted to hold the other in his arms.

“We know, but we’ll figure this out. We always do.” Piper encouraged.

It was at that moment that Percy broke. “And what if we don’t? What if we never see each other again? I can’t let that happen. I will not let that happen. I love him too much to let that happen.” 

Everyone around him stayed silent due to the confession. Jason and Leo knew of Nico’s similar feelings, but Piper and Frank weren’t aware of it. That didn’t mean, however, that no one was shocked to hear those words escape Percy’s mouth. 

Percy was too busy trying to pull himself together to even acknowledge the strange silence that fell upon the group. It was like that for several minutes, until Jason broke out of his haze and gently pulled the older boy’s hands away from his face. 

“I will try my very best to make sure you and Nico can meet at least once a week, okay? This is not going to be forever. You two will see each other again, and we will figure out a way for this arranged marriage to die. Just give me some time, and I’ll figure something out.”

It was Percy’s turn to look shocked and fall silent. He scanned everyone’s faces, who all had the same encouraging and determined looks. Frank’s eyes had a small flame to them. Leo had never looked so focused on something. Piper had an aura of power surrounding her, and Jason’s entire being screamed persistence. 

A small smile made its way to Percy’s lips. “Thank you.” He choked out. 

Piper leaned against the table and gave Percy a hug, Jason grasping at his side while Frank tried to give comfort through Jason. Leo sat there giving Percy a wide grin. There had been very few moments in his life where he’s ever felt so loved in his entire life. And this was most definitely one of them. 

When they all broke apart from the hug, one of the waitresses appeared and asked them for their orders. Percy noticed the slight shade of pink dusting across Piper’s freckled cheeks, and he was sure he wasn’t the only one.

After ordering several milkshakes, fries, and burgers, everyone looked at Piper expectantly. She eyed them all suspiciously for a moment, raising an eyebrow.

“What?”

“You totally were blushing because of the waitress.” Leo stated the obvious, casing Piper’s violet eyes to widen in surprise. 

“No I wasn’t.” She defended, trying to cover her face with one of her hands. 

“Spill. Now.” Jason ordered, causing Piper to sulk in her chair, childishly crossing her arms over her chest as she pouted. 

“Spill what?” She asked innocently. 

“You’re hiding something.” Percy pointed out, glaring at her with one of his more frightening glares. 

Piper shivered, but pulled herself into a normal sitting position. “Fine. I may or may not be dating J- the waitress.”

“Do continue.” Frank said, causing Piper to growl in frustration at her friend’s persistence. 

“Well I usually come here whenever I need to escape the house. It gets really lonely sometimes. So I usually sit at that table,” Piper gestured towards her usual table, “and that just happens to be her usual place to work shifts. I tried flirting with her at first, but she just brushed it off. And then I made like, really obvious dating innuendos, and still got no reaction. Eventually I got tired of it and gave her my phone number. That’s when she got the hint.”

Percy snickered, covering the laugh with his hand. Piper noticed it and glared at him. 

“What? Like you were any better, Jackson. Nico had been asking me for advice weeks before you two got together. Apparently you were just as oblivious as Jean.”

“Jean?” Leo smirked, only to earn a smack on the arm. “Ow!”

“If that’s her name, why does her name tag say Victoria?” Frank asked. 

Piper glared at him, too. “She hates being called that. A lot of trauma ties in with it. But it’s her birth name, and if her mom ever found out she goes by a different name, she’ll nag her about it for months.”

“That sucks.” Percy mumbled. He never knew what it felt like to hate your own name because of your past, and he hopes he never will. It sounds even worse the more he thought about it. 

“I don’t think she’ll mind if you call her Jean, though. She usually responds to either name.” Piper shrugs. 

At that moment the waitress, Jean, came up to them with a tray balanced on one hand. It held their fries and milkshakes, and as she emptied the tray, she started to speak. “I’ll be right back with your burgers.”

“Thanks.” Piper quickly said, only to earn a small, shy smile from the girl with glasses. When she left everyone turned to Piper once again, who tried to ignore them by sipping on her milkshake. 

“She seems nice.” Leo teased. 

“She is.” Piper replied, annoyance flooding into her words. Leo ignored that and swiped away a fry from his shared tray with Jason. 

“How long have you guys been going out?” Frank asked innocently, trying to be as sweet as possible so he could avoid her harsh glares. 

“Few weeks now.”

“So it’s a pretty new relationship then?” Jason asked. 

“Yep.” Piper answered, before staring down at her fries, a thoughtful frown dancing across her lips. 

Again, Percy was not the only one who saw it. “What’s the matter, Pipes?”

Piper sighed before running a hand through her bob of wavy hair. “I just- I feel like she’s hiding something from me. And it’s bothering me, but I’m not about to push her into admitting it.”

“Just give it some time. She seems like a very reserved person from what I can tell. It can take a long time to break down her walls. You just have to be there for when that happens, otherwise her walls will become even more reinforced, and you’ll have to work even harder to get her to trust you enough to tear them down.” Jason insightfully claimed. 

“Jason’s right. Just give her some time. All you have to do is show her you care, and she’ll be telling you some of her secrets before you even know it.” Leo added, giving a small nudge to Piper’s waist before he snatched another fry. 

“I guess you’re right.”

“Oh, honey, I know I’m right.” Leo claimed, only to earn another jab from the woman he sat next to. 

While everyone else started messing around with one another, Percy was lost in thought once again. Jason’s advice had been given to him when he first started dating Nico. And what he said turned out to be true. If you show someone that you care about them no matter what, they will eventually feel comforted enough to share bits and pieces about themselves. 

He remembered when he admitted to Percy about his selective mutism, and how Percy was the one who was able to break him out of the habit. He could still feel his heart leap out of his chest every time he thought about it. Sometimes it hurt to know how much Nico’s been through. Other times he felt proud that only he was able to bring Nico out of that. 

While back then he didn’t know the reason behind the selective mutism, he still had mixed emotions about it, just like he does now. Thinking back on it all and comparing all of it to the Nico he knows now, Percy knows the young teen has come a really long way in such a short amount of time. 

It’s one of the reasons Percy loves him so much. Nico is one of the strongest people he knows of. It sometimes surprises him that Nico chose him out of everyone else in the world. But he couldn’t feel more proud that Nico felt safe around him. 

Another reason why Percy felt so strongly about his situation. He needs to break the arranged marriage as soon as possible. He can’t imagine Nico rebuilding his walls and making them stronger. After all the faith he put in Percy, Percy can not afford to let the younger teen down.

While Percy needs Nico just as much as Nico needs Percy, Percy knows that if he loses Nico now, he may never get him back. Nico relies on Percy. 

Percy is determined to not let him down. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it was rushed and jumpy, but I tried, I promise!
> 
> Also, the OC is literally me 'cuz I have a crush on Piper and omgs can she stop being bad@ss for two seconds so I can stop fawning over her?
> 
> 'ight, Imma go cry myself to sleep now.
> 
> Hope you guys at least somewhat liked this chapter so I don't feel like killing myself

**Author's Note:**

> So.
> 
> This is technically my second Pernico fic
> 
> But I'm just gonna say first, cuz the other one doesn't really count. 
> 
> I've been avoiding writing any PJO/HOO fics for the longest of time, because I have no sense of humor whatsoever, so if Percy sucks, that's on me, and I apologize.
> 
> If you're going to trash on this ship, I will immediately erase your comments. I do not have time to read through a message full of hate towards something I love, so don't bother wasting your time, please and thank you.
> 
> However, constructive criticism is very much allowed. I love feedback, good or bad. It helps me as a writer.
> 
> That's all for now, I hope you enjoyed!


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